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Why ping time is only a partial measure of DNS speed

Speed of DNS is determined by two main factors: network latency and software speed.

Network latency is measured by ping time. OpenDNS has 5 data centers (4 in the United States, one in the United Kingdom), with several servers and multiple bandwidth providers in and between each location. Our anycast addresses mean you'll get a response from the closest data center.

Given our network, the ping time between you and the closest OpenDNS server should be minimal. However, even if OpenDNS is further away on the network than your current DNS provider (ISP, global roots), our custom-written software and huge caches combine to deliver a faster overall DNS experience. Even if your ISP is "closer" if they don't have the answer, your request will traverse the Internet. With OpenDNS, your request gets answered directly almost without exception.

OpenDNS is also very reliable. If anything should go awry at a data center, your requests will be resolved from the next closest data center seamlessly.

July 21, 2007